Clinical Psychology Program

Area Head, Jennifer Read, PhD

The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program follows a "clinical-science" training model. Clinical science is a psychological science focused on using scientific methods and evidence to inform the assessment, understanding, treatment and prevention of human problems in behavior, affect, cognition or health. Consistent with this model, students are involved in clinical research continuously from their first semester, and the program is best suited for students who desire academic or research-oriented careers in clinical psychology.

The Learning Environment

The clinical faculty represent a strong productive, and collegial group of researchers who conduct cutting-edge research in fundamental areas of clinical psychology, with particular expertise in alcohol and substance misuse, anxiety and mood disorders, developmental psychopathology, temperament, personality pathology, psychophysiology, assessment and advanced quantitative methods.

The program has emphases in both adult and child psychopathology and interventions. Through lab-based mentorship and carefully designed sequential and cumulative course work, students develop the skills necessary to become a clinical researcher, and they are well prepared for careers in academic settings, such as psychology departments at colleges and universities, or psychiatry departments at medical schools. We expect our students to contribute to the science of clinical psychology, and to learn to infuse their clinical work with empirical findings and theoretical concepts. Our students have done very well in competing for the best internships and professional placements, and many of our graduates have risen to positions of prominence and leadership in the field. Our aim is to provide each student with the quality of training that would afford that same opportunity.

Licensure and Accreditation

The Clinical Psychology PhD program is licensure-qualifying for New York State, and has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1954. The program was last reviewed in 2016 and received a full reaccreditation through 2023. For questions regarding our APA accreditation status, please contact:

In addition to APA accreditation, the program was admitted to the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science in 2008. The program also was accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) in 2017.

Why does our Clinical Training Program have two accreditations?

Our program is currently accredited by APA through 2023, and PCSAS through 2027. We are proud to have been accredited by APA since 1949. APA serves the needs of many clinical psychology programs around the country. The Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at the University at Buffalo is committed to training psychologists who strive to produce and apply scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems. Our program provides training that is explicitly science-focused, and as such, we benefit from an accreditation process that is consistent with this science-based philosophy. This is why we sought out accreditation with PCSAS, in addition to our APA accreditation.

Future Plans We plan to maintain APA accreditation at least until programs accredited by PCSAS are given the same access to internship and licensure opportunities as are programs accredited by APA. However, in the coming years, we will continue to monitor changes in the field, and in accreditation systems. In the event that parity (i.e., are on equal standing) is achieved between PCSAS and APA, we will then evaluate whether APA accreditation is consistent with our training philosophy and goals, and whether such accreditation benefits our program and students. Consideration of these issues would include students in our program. We will not make any changes that would limit our students’ training opportunities or threaten the ability of our graduates to have the kinds of careers that they seek.

The Admissions Process

As our program is mentorship-based, students are admitted to work with an individual faculty member. Faculty members accepting students vary from year to year. Before applying, prospective students should view the list of faculty members accepting students and/or contact potential mentors.